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Nestor Aparicio

Strange fight so far..

Nestor Aparicio

Very surprised by the effort being put forth by De La Hoya. When he’s pushed the tempo, he’s been effective, landing some punches that are drawing smiles from Mayweather, especially late-round flurries. I wonder if these guys are gonna hug at the end…LOL! The crowd at MGM wants this thing for De La Hoya. Mayweather has really tried to take the Ali role in this one. We’re going to the 9th round. I have Mayweather ahead, but I wouldn’t be surprised if desperation doesn’t make this interesting for the Golden Boy in these next couple of rounds. Those “Oscar, Oscar” chants are gonna get louder… I haven’t seen that Mayweather speed more than once or twice… Hmmmm… Hoping we see something great!

Boxing in 2007..

Nestor Aparicio

I know it’s been a little while since I’ve really paid any attention to boxing — probably like most of the rest of you — but I am watching the fight tonight between De La Hoya and Mayweather. And I’ve gotta tell you, I’ve seen some manure in my day, but nothing more funny and/or campy than that get-up that Floyd Mayweather threw together for Cinco de Mayo. And bringing 50 Cent into the fray by rapping him to the ring. Taunting using patriotism (or anti-patriotism) — the old Apollo Creed tactic. Since when did boxing in 2007 resemble the cinema of 1976? Between Jack Nicholson ringside and all of the celebrities (is it POSSIBLE that Jenny McCarthy took a private jet from Louisville to Las Vegas in less than five hours because she was DEFINITELY at both events today?!), the hype is rocking Sin City tonight. Hi Def rocks… Michael Buffer is about to get this thing ready to rumble… De La Hoya looks frightened… This is is gonna be good!

The Derby NEVER disappoints..

Nestor Aparicio

Another Derby, another memorable race… If you don’t have at the VERY least a lump in your throat just WATCHING this rider, Calvin Borel, get congratulated by virtually everyone in the state of Kentucky, you’re not human. The Derby always seem to humanize these stories better than any other sporting event on earth. The Derby is ONE shot…the run for the roses, as fast as you can… Seeing the roses go onto Borel is kinda cool. I’ve been down in that center area after the big race before, and I’m telling you, just the stories Gary Stevens was telling about the popularity of Borel amongst his peers, lets you know how genuine this win is for this jockey, whose name is probably completely unfamiliar to the world. In the greatest minute of his life on televison, he won me over. He’s gonna be a STAR because of this and how human he made that moment, his greatest wish come true. It was hard to tell who was happier — him for winning, or all of his peers for SEEING him win. I have a feeling Calvin Borel is one helluva great guy! That’s just good TV. That’s good sports. That’s

Derby star watching..

Nestor Aparicio

I was all set to watch ALL of the Kentucky Derby day proceedings on ESPN, but alas the Flower Mart usurped by afternoon. Just tuned into the NBC coverage, and it’s amazing — they’ve talked to about a dozen celebrities and NONE of the production has included those warm fuzzy pieces about horses, jockeys, trainers and owners that suck you into a particular connection. So far we’ve seen the lovely Jenny McCarthy flirt with Mike Battaglia and make handicapping look easy. Gary Williams and Rick Pitino were cornered on Millionaire’s Row and discussed hoops and horses. Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minillo were dashing. There were a couple of more actors and football players — Michael Strahan, Byron Leftwich and Vince Young all chatted with the NBC cameras. It’s like they’re “selling” the Derby as the “place to be.” I sure hope it works. Because it’s the best event there is. Tom Hammond — who is one of the really nice people I’ve met in this business — just said the “red carpet” portion of the Debry coverage has ended… I’m in delay, but trying to catch up… I’m pulling for Circular Quay…would triple him up with Street Sense and Hard

Saturday is gonna be one helluva sports night

Nestor Aparicio

The best part of having so many voices here at WNST.net is having a “second opinion.” And in reality, that was my favorite part of doing sports radio every day for more than 13 years — hearing other people who know more about something than I do, tell me something I didn’t already know! So, Rex Snider blogs this morning that he knows very little about horse racing and that, basically, it’s the horse racing industry’s fault. Agreed. He also wisely predicts that 50-some hillbillies driving really fast tomorrow night in billboards on wheels in Richmond will outdraw one of this country’s oldest and most dignified traditions, The Kentucky Derby. Agreed (but grudgingly!) For our part, we await the Preakness, which always has the one thing the Kentucky Derby can’t brag about having — and that’s the Kentucky Derby WINNER! Every year that the Preakness stumbles back into Maryland, I count my blessings as a resident that it’s still here. Because as long as it’s here, it still has a prayer of being salvaged. But the sands do appear to be slipping through the hourglass. How much longer is the industry going to allow this state, that God-awful track and

Here’s the dope..

Nestor Aparicio

I was just fingering through the internet this afternoon and this story popped up and grabbed my attention. You really should read it! And since I was one of the MANY fools in the journalism business who believed guys could gain 30 pounds of solid, bulging muscle over a three-month offseason, I thought you’d enjoy this piece from ESPN.com. Honestly, I can’t believe it took this long for one of the “lesser lights” in the baseball underworld to threaten to sing like a canary. On many levels, I really hope we start hearing names and seeing more than just Mark McGwire go down with the ship. As we inch closer to Hank Aaron having his life’s work taken away by Barry Bonds — he’s now 12 homers away — it’s the PERFECT time to start finding out the truth about what happened during those years and why hundreds of guys like Brady Anderson, Bret Boone and Sammy Sosa started to blow up like beach balls. And the money they stole from the fans. And the abuse they might have caused their bodies. Maybe we should know for the dignity of the game (if there’s any left)? Maybe for the many

So long Joe Foss..

Nestor Aparicio

Well, we’re at it again. We here at WNST.net are continuing to expose all of the TRUTHS that the Orioles don’t want you to know. It appears that they were NEVER going to announce Joe Foss’ departure from the club after almost 14 years of “running” the club (if somehow you believe somebody other than Peter Angelos makes every decision down to buying the paper clips). Foss has been relatively silent and inactive for a while now, but has picked now for his escape. Or maybe next week if you read the Orioles’ propaganda. I honestly believe the Orioles were in no hurry to make this announcement public, or why else would their “media partners” be left in the dark about what was the worst-kept secret in town: John Angelos is running the show there now for the team and for MASN. Joe Foss, who has been identified in just about every reference as the No. 2 man in the Orioles organization (somehow I get a funny picture of Robert Wagner with an eye patch in the Austin Powers series), has gone the way of the Edsel at The Warehouse after many years of failure, abuse and ineptitude. (For the

Rumors of a front office shakeup in The Warehouse..

Nestor Aparicio

I’ve never been one to spread or start rumors, but I’m hearing whispers — and when there’s smoke, there’s fire — that there’s been a minor (or maybe even more significant) shakeup in the Orioles’ front office on the “non” baseball side. At or near the top, with a longtime insider and Angelos confidant… We’re following the story and will have more information — if there is any to be had — later in the day… A few other random notes: * Incredible story in The Sun today about Michael McCrary and his injuries and the toll they’ve taken on No. 99. It’s great to see the NFL actually getting more pro-active in treating the injuries of the players who have given their bodies to the game. We all love football and our Sunday afternoons, but the one part of this job that’s really been eye-opening has been the human side of the league and how many good people there are who play the game and what they go through and sacrifice to entertain us and to make money for their families. The best example would be seeing our pal Spencer Folau, who is now an official member of the

More proof that Eric Decosta is a freaking genius

Nestor Aparicio

The post-draft show is always one of my favorite nights of the year, probably because I love the NFL Draft so much as a fan. From the minute I met Phil Savage at the very first “Liars’ Luncheon” in 1996, I realized the significance of the draft and why every team in the league puts such a premium on scouts, watching tape and picking the right player on that third Saturday of April. All I need to say is this: Jonathan Ogden vs. Lawrence Phillips? I remember the day Ogden got drafted, April 19. 1996 and the crowd reaction at the Sheraton downtown — the first “headquarters” for a draft day party, which we were the official “flagship” for — wasn’t dissimilar to what the Dolphins and Cam Cameron heard from the Miami faithful on Saturday when Ted Ginn Jr. was selected. It was VERY hard to explain to novice fans how you could justify a left tackle vs. the best running back in college football at Nebraska. But that pick won Baltimore a championship! (Not to mention taking Ray Lewis over RB Leeland McElroy!) So, this past weekend, when Ozzie Newsome and Eric Decosta set out to pick through

Ravens get their tackle late into the night!!!!!!

Nestor Aparicio

The Ravens have given me the relief of being able to go to bed… They dealt back into the third round to pick No. 86 to select Marshal Yanda, a tackle from Iowa that they clearly were very bullish about. ESPN lists him as a guard. He would be a right tackle prospect for the Ravens. 6-4, 305 pounds, big boy… While Mel Kiper continues to talk about the Stanford QB and the Boston College guard, the Ravens led by Ozzie Newsome and Eric Decosta went with one of their old friend Kirk Ferentz’s guys from the heartland. Good stuff on Day One from the Bellagio. Lots of twists and turns…lots of FUN, really… Am I a TOTAL AND COMPLETE NUTBALL GOOBER, sitting around watching the draft on a Saturday night. God…middle age has come to this, huh??? The Ravens gave up picks Nos. 101, 166 and 203 for the right to move up 15 spots into the No. 86 spot. Good value, I suppose if Yanda gets on the field and they certainly will need a tackle with Jon Ogden’s pending departure. But there is now an OVERLOAD of offensive linemen and guards. The Ravens are making a SERIOUS

Pick No. 101 history…and staying up late

Nestor Aparicio

So, the orange Birds were  finding some Oriole Magic dust while any self-respecting Ravens fan was diligently watching Ozzie Newsome’s wizardry of draft-day wheeling and dealing. My remote control thumb is worn out! And I was pretty sure they weren’t going to come back to win it in Cleveland! Obviously the Ravens were not enamored with the QB from Stanford — they had their shot! While dealing back outta the No. 61 to the No. 74 and No. 101, the Ravens picked up one of the more interesting picks in the draft — the second pick of tomorrow morning. So, basically, you get ALL night to think things over. I’m bored, my wife is asleep so I thought I’d blog up some good stuff — the stuff I’m really thinking as a fan “in the know” here on a Saturday night. I know the Ravens are NOT done for the evening — they will certainly at least CONSIDER making a trade! So, I’m sticking with the draft since the Orioles game is done. WHEW! This is wearing me out…L-O-N-G day…I  really wonder how many people are still watching? MAN…I love the NFL, right? Boredom update: I did some research into pick

Oriole Magic while Ravens attempt to get back into the third round

Nestor Aparicio

Great night to be rocking the remote… Oriole Magic in Cleveland, with a huge comeback, snapping a week’s worth of pathetic baseball. It’s getting toward the witching hour and the Ravens’ brass appear to be eyeing a potential move back INTO the third round. They certainly have the firepower with the later picks. Maybe…we’ll see…but the evening IS NOT over in Owings Mills!!!

Hello again…Ryan Kalil

Nestor Aparicio

Pick No. 58 is on the clock…I wonder who the Saints are gonna take? With just Carolina and Miami in front of the Ravens, you have to start to rekindle that Ryan Kalil conjecture. Were the Ravens TOTALLY bluffing about Kalil? We might soon find out. The question of the night on the ESPN broadcast is whether the Ravens should attempt to take the QB Edwards from Stanford. The Lions just traded up into the No. 58. Gotta think that’s a QB? Gonna run and wait for the big pick!  

The Ryan Kalil we’ll never know..

Nestor Aparicio

It became more clear as the afternoon went along that the Ravens wanted Grubbs or Staley. I really believed there might have been the possibility of backing up to allow someone to reach up and get QB Beck from BYU. But it didn’t happen and I saw Grubbs coming right after the Browns/Quinn deal. The amount that the team has invested on the OL — Chester, Brown, Grubbs, Terry — tells you the direction and the seriousness that the team puts on protection for the quarterback and maulers for the running game. There is nary a negative word on Grubbs throughout the internet and just the notion that the team would take a guard with the No. 1 pick should tell you how solid this guy must be. I NEVER second guess Eric Decosta or Ozzie Newsome on draft day. I know them and know their work and results well enough to know that a LOT of thought and effort was put into making Grubbs “their guy” today. Not exciting…not sexy…just a solid pick, I hope. And as always, if the Ravens picked him, chances are I’m gonna like him! They have a knack for almost ALWAYS finding good people.

This is when it’s FUN..

Nestor Aparicio

Pats are on the board… Ravens are up next…trade, pick…who knows? I think the guard Grubbs becomes the guy…I think Kalil might have been a red herring… I know they like the LB Harris…but not as much as Grubbs I think… Only a few minutes away…

Baseball, rock and roll and Draft day..

Nestor Aparicio

So, I’m sitting at The Port right now waiting for the draft to begin and I thought I’d clean out my folder full of crazy stuff from this week. First, I’ve been to three Orioles games this week: Sunday, Monday and Thursday at Camden Yards. I must say that as much as I’ve pretty much hated the Red Sox all of my life — but not nearly in that Yankee-sorta way — they and their fans sure make nights at Oriole Park more fun, even in dramatic defeat. Just seeing in living, breathing color what 15,000 Red Sox fans looks like and sound like, is really kinda amazing. They love their team. Peter Angelos has killed that sort of “blind faith” love for the Orioles. If you EVER doubt what Free The Birds is all about, just go to an Oriole game when the Red Sox are in town. You’ll see just how sad this situation has become when the Red Sox fans shout down the few Orioles fans in our own ballpark. I want that passion that these drunk Red Sox fans have for their team. Today, sitting inside on a beautiful day watching a goofy NFL Draft and

Because it’s NFL Draft day..

Nestor Aparicio

I suppose I need to make an “on the record” prediction. To be honest, I have spent less time evaluating the draft than I ever have — just too much work to be done around WNST.net, the radio station and our business. But, I have sniffed around enough to get a pretty solid list of “candidates” for the Ravens to draft over the next 48 hours. And I know enough from spending time in Owings Mills, that when Monday night comes at Piv’s and we open the MANY envelopes with predictions from Ravens coaches and scouts, the answers will almost surely vary greatly. There was a LOT of deep thinking going on when these guys were filling out their envelopes! My gut feeling is that they will take an OL with the first pick, possibly Ryan Kalil. But so many things can happen during the first 29 picks — and the depth in the draft is such that Day 2 could be a disaster area to find potential starts in the NFL — that I believe trading back to get an extra 3rd round pick wouldn’t be a bad idea. But you have to have a dance partner to deal.

Sockgate and Shonda Schilling..

Nestor Aparicio

As fate would have it, much of my day centered around Shonda Schilling’s skin-cancer prevention speech at Colgate Elementary School in Dundalk where we went to school together many moons ago. Obviously, she is NOT amused about “sockgate” and I didn’t really need to ASK her about the “bloody sock” — geez, I’ve known Shonda since 1972 and Curt since 1989. I know them to be honest people and I have NO CLUE what Gary Thorne was thinking or will say to defend the comments. All she said to me was that Mirabellli was quite upset. I remember being at Yankee Stadium for Game 7 in 2004. I remember Shonda’s father, Don, giving me all of the details  about how grotesque Curt’s ankle was the night before. I didn’t need to “ask” if it was a real injury. So, enough about “sock gate” already…I believe my friends…and I’ll leave it at that! As for Shonda and her skin cancer seminar for kids, it was amazing to see this woman I’ve known longer than I’ve known most anyone on the planet taking command of these kids in the same elementary school cafeteria we ate lunch in every day from 5 years

Two days in a row at Oriole Park for me..

Nestor Aparicio

There is no way subtle way to begin to tell you about my experience at Camden Yards last night for the A’s-Orioles game. My neighbor gave me two tickets in Sect. 23, Row C. So after going on very short notice on Sunday, I’d actually been sitting on this pair for a week and my wife and I decided to enjoy an incredibly beautiful, 80-plus degree night downtown, outside in the fresh air watching the Orioles play. The crowds are always small on weeknights — again I can see the traffic downtown and the empty seats on TV — but there is nothing that can prepare a real, longtime baseball fan for seeing 5,000 people in their seats at game time for a Major League Baseball game. It’s especially painful in a stadium as beautiful as Camden Yards. Last night’s crowd would have been embarrassing in Montreal, let alone Baltimore. As usual, the Orioles lied about their attendance — they announced the crowd at 13,862. There was NEVER a point last night where it even resembled five digits. If my life depended on guessing the attendance, I would generously have given them 8,000. The game itself was again, quite sleepy,

Not quite the ‘real’ Sect. 34, but I smelled Oriole Magic on the field

Nestor Aparicio

I gave the Orioles “another chance” today at Oriole Park. I will quantify and explain my reasoning for going back to the ballpark in another blog, but for today I just want to talk about going to an actual Oriole game in Baltimore on a gorgeous 80-plus degree day and painting the picture of what I saw. Especially, since like many of you, I have really nothing to compare it to — except a Ravens game or a Blast game, because I haven’t been in a while. For the first time in nearly three years, I just walked out my door through downtown and went to an Orioles game. I’ve seen one since May 2004 — a game with the Red Sox at Fenway more because it was my wife’s birthday and the Orioles just happened to be the team they were playing that night. But my client and friend, Syd Nusinov, offered me a pair for the game yesterday and I went with him. He didn’t cheat me. They were in Section 34, which immediately got me thinking about the “real” section 34. You know. the one I spent a good part of my childhood within over on 33rd

To anyone who truly respects ‘FREEDOM OF SPEECH’..

Nestor Aparicio

This morning I formally requested a one-day credential from the Orioles for Friday night’s game against Toronto…to replace my beat reporter Casey Willett for the night. This afternoon, I was AGAIN, wrongfully denied a working press credential for tomorrow night’s game, even as the “official” ballpark reporter. They’ve essentially said anyone BUT me can cover the team. And they’ve made it very clear that it’s PERSONALLY me. It took them a little more than one hour to respond to my request. If they handled EVERY request so diligently, we wouldn’t all be having the problems we are and they’d be a better franchise. For the record… I did a VERY formal pre-game report from Tampa on Tuesday evening. The blogs are a click away (right above my head) if you care to be updated on my day with the Orioles on the road. I wrote five rather massive missives about Tampa and baseball and the Orioles and the history of the Orioles in St. Petersburg. I hope you read them in order! Lots of cool memories! Devil Rays PR man Rick Vaughn has ALWAYS credentialed me –dating back to his years with the Orioles in the late 1980’s — and

It wasn’t Whiskey Joes…but Tampa STILL rocks

Nestor Aparicio

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla — The game is over and there was no comeback tonight for the orange birds. A fourth-inning, six-run pounding laid on Orioles starter Steve Trachsel and a moon shot home run by Oriole callup Jon Knott (who?) made for an entertaining last few innings. For the record: I didn’t have any specific intentions to promote Free The Birds here in Tampa, but I did bring signs and a shirt just in case. On a lark, about an hour before the game, I strolled to the box office to see if seats were available behind home plate. They were — in abundance —  so I bought one in the third row right behind the dish. The ticket was pricey (actually, it was embarrassing and I don’t want to admit how much I paid, but it did come with a tasty open buffet and all the drinks I could drink, which almost made it ‘worth it’.) So if you’re wondering about the FTB home plate blitz last night, yeah, it was me. What did you expect? The FTB cause will live until one of two things happens (and NONE of it has anything to do with me rightfully getting

Almost gametime in Tampa..

Nestor Aparicio

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla — Since the game starts in a little while (and I’m kinda hungry), I’ll keep this one brief. Sam Perlozzo held his pre-game chat in the visiting dugout here at Tropicana Field, and again stressed the importance of the bullpen and the need for the team to get all of its parts back. To wit, Ramon Hernandez appeared in the visiting clubhouse at 3:55 and was well received.  He actually stepped in for batting practice and could be activated as early as tomorrow for the 3 p.m. cap to the three-game stand vs. the Devils Rays. Jay Payton is running at “85-90 percent,” according to Perlozzo, and could be in the lineup as early as Friday night, after a two-game stint in Norfolk. Corey Patterson will be coming back to the team tomorrow morning, and should arrive at the ballpark before game time if his flight arrives on time. Steve Trachsel will take the hill tonight here, his third start as an Oriole. “I hadn’t seen him work too much, before he came here,” Perlozzo said. “It’s been a learning experience but he’s a veteran guy and he takes his time. He won 15 games last year

Ahh…the memories of spring training in St. Petersburg FLA!!!

Nestor Aparicio

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla — So, I’m here. On the ground, got a car, figuring out a hotel room — the usual routine. I just drove 26 miles on the most gorgeous 80-degree you’ll ever see through Tampa and into St. Petersburg. Kinda hard to imagine just how morose it must be have waited for baseball all those years and to be delivered indoor baseball on beautiful days and a team so bad, it’s almost incomprehensible. The last time I spent any time at all in St. Petersburg was March 1994, when the Orioles were ramping up for the strike season here. As bad as the Orioles current spring training situation is — and it’s dreadful — the days when Eli Jacobs owned the team were clearly no better. The Orioles left Miami and Bobby Maduro Stadium right before Memorial Stadium was shut down, mainly because the neighborhood there became untenable. Apparently — and I’ve still never been there — it was dangerous and deplorable, like most of South Florida to be honest. They spent one full spring training WITHOUT A HOME GAME! They based in Sarasota in a tiny little park, called Twin Lakes Park, and roamed Florida every day.

On the ground in Tampa..

Nestor Aparicio

Well, this is my first “in-flight” blog. If you don’t know it by now, I’m really enjoying this kinda work. It’s been a really cool, fun week to write about sports whenever I want! I should’ve done this a LONG time ago. Right now, I’m somewhere over Virginia and headed to Tampa to cover tonight’s Orioles-Devil Rays game. It’s been a few years since I’ve been a “ballpark” reporter, but I usually only staffed these events under the toughest conditions — All Star Games and World Series. So, usually when I’ve done this routine, it’s been with literally HUNDREDS of media members scouring dugouts, clubhouses and walkways (usually in the freezing cold in October) for stories, old friends, sound bites and anything else they could get for their respective newspapers and radio or TV stations. Those were some of my favorites memories of doing radio, those “big game” experiences. I have a zillion pictures, a zillion stories — all which will be told in a book someday. But, it didn’t take long for my journey through BWI today see several tragedies that are much larger in scope than the Orioles acting like jackasses toward me or some of media brethren.

Today oughta be interesting..

Nestor Aparicio

With the Orioles on a rampage, I decided to fly to Tampa today to check out all the hullabaloo. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays have provided a media credential for tonight’s game in St. Petersburg, and with a hundred hands on deck at WNST to cover today’s purple “Liars Luncheon”, I am heading to BWI to catch a flight to 80-degree Florida for the day.  I will be arriving at the stadium around 3 p.m. and will calling in with Ballpark Reports for Rob Long, and perhaps, Michael Popovec. Another nice win by the Birds last night!  The kind of game that, if they become anything special this year, they’ll remember.Down 7-1? And win? On the road? Once Loewen got knocked around? And after they treated the baseball like a ‘hot potato’ earlier in the game?  Impressive enough.  But they are the Devil Rays! At least it appears as though fifth place isn’t a viable option all of a sudden for the O’s. (Remember, they were 3-6 just a quick weather system ago!). It’ll be good to see Sam Perlozzo and Leo Mazzone, two guys I’ve always gotten along well with over the years. I haven’t spoken to Perlozzo since he’s become the

Why I love baseball..

Nestor Aparicio

Sitting at home on a Sunday afternoon, watching the raindrops fall, watching bad movies and just about ready to make dinner. I flip through the baseball channels, see that the A’s are hosting the Yankees on Comcast Ch. 780, and I put the game on. One eye on it for two hours, the A’s had a 2-0 lead for the most part. I left the room, came back, it was 4-2 Yankees. I made the obligatory wisecrack about the Yankees, the Orioles and how F-ed up baseball is. Then came the ninth inning, packed house (VERY pro-Yankee, I might add at the Coliseum today) and future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera sauntered out of the pen on what looked like a short-sleeves lovely kinda day in the East Bay (By the way, I LOVE the Bay Area, too, and especially love that stadium — it’s kinda like 33rd Street on the inside and the Ravens won the AFC Championship there and I have some fond memories, if you know what I mean!) The first two A’s — Chavez and Crosby — go down quickly. This looks to be a Yankee victory. Rivera gives up a two-out single to Todd Walker,

PETER ANGELOS IS A GOD!!!!!!

Nestor Aparicio

For the record, Gary Thorne and Jim Palmer are keeping me imminently entertained. We honestly considered taking a walk over tonight, hoping to find someone to hand us tickets. My “no pay” policy is VERY firm…I bought tickets for their FanFest two weeks ago. I pulled a $10 bill out of my pocket and paid to get in, just to see what a “fan” experience would feel like in 2007. I was honestly shocked by the optimism. There were probably 7-10,000 people there — nice crowd, I thought, considering the circumstances. I stayed an hour, thought it felt very corporate and stuffy for the most part, and really, the autographs were the glue holding it together and people had to wait in the cold for an hour to get a signature. I thought it was kinda sloppy, to be honest, but it was what it was — an event of SOME kind to get people involved, even if it was a little chilly and damp and not “comfortable.” But that was it for me. I game them $9 last year and $10 this year. But I have some benefactors coming through with some of their many unused tickets. Don’t forget

What would John Steadman have said about the Orioles in 2007

Nestor Aparicio

Still shaking off that horrible Preds loss in double OT, which was preceded by that horrible loss by the Orioles in the 12th. All that promise last night just led to a double whammy. Even my wife’s team nearly got no-hit! It was ugly! Just sitting around, doing website stuff and thought I’d pound out a little message. I really hope all of you are enjoying WNST’s new place in the cyberworld. One day I’ll blog about how all of this got put together — you really deserve to know the stuff that inspires me to build and create WNST. It’s really a fun little company with some awesome people and awesome supporters. Three days into our “new” existence, I once again want to reiterate my sincere thanks to everyone associated with our radio station and website. We are now not just a “little” radio station, getting continually scoffed at by our detractors. We are now a Baltimore sports “presence” throughout the world. Every day I get email from people from all over the country and even in Europe, displaced Baltimoreans and Marylanders who want to keep their finger in the pie at home. We will continue to work hard,

Puck

Nestor Aparicio

  Just sat down to watch some puck…had some enchiladas…yummy! Preds are down 1-0…went in off a skate. Man, I LOVE hockey. Just love it! (Preds are getting boned on penalties) The funny hockey accents. The energy of the crowd. The crazy rules and action. I miss it. If Ed Hale could pull this Arena thing off, I swear I’d love to be involved in buying a hockey team and bringing it here. I miss hockey! Maybe some of you know (or maybe you don’t), but hockey was my beat when I worked at The Evening Sun and The News American. I covered, conservatively speaking, at LEAST 250 hockey games during that time. I, like Drew, was a MAJOR, MAJOR Caps dork. I was there for every big game they ever played during that era from 1985-1992. Every John Druce, Rod Langway, Mike Gartner move…I was in the locker room, press box, in the car back and forth two or three times a week to the Capital Centre with Phil Jackman in his Nissan Sentra. Maybe some of you don’t know it, but Phil Jackman was like a father to me. We did hockey games for YEARS. Man, he was

Game on!!! Let’s pimp the puck.

Nestor Aparicio

I suppose the beauty of blogdom is that I can write about one of my true passions that it became harder and harder to discuss on the air — because nobody cares much about it but me and Hockey Meg. Tonight, we will pimp the puck in my condo! Preds and Sharks…8 p.m…preceeded by a nice Dice K start at Fenway for my wife (she hasn’t seen much ball yet this season) and O’s-Tigers (maybe, if the sky doesn’t explode). But…it’s a BIG sports night here as Hockey Meg and Agent Orange (licking his wounds from the 3-5 start) arrive with divergent agendas. Thank god for the remote! Anyway, hope everyone who is reading my hooey has a big sports night planned, even if it doesn’t include the greatest chase of the sports year — the chase for the hoisting of Lord Stanley’s goblet! Barry Trotz promised me that I could drink from the Cup in the locker room if the Preds win. Man, that would be the GREATEST!!!!!! Game on…(most of you won’t know what that means, but hockey fans will!) I might even throw on the first few minutes of Slapshot just to get fired up… “You go

RAVENS SKED HERE.

Nestor Aparicio

2007 BALTIMORE RAVENS SCHEDULE PRESEASON DATE OPPONENT PLACE TIME Mon. Aug. 13 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES M&T BANK STADIUM 7:00 p.m. Sun. Aug. 19 NEW YORK GIANTS M&T BANK STADIUM 8:00 p.m. (NBC) Sat. Aug. 25 at Washington Redskins FedEx Field 8:00 p.m. Fri. Aug. 31 at Atlanta Falcons Georgia Dome 7:30 p.m. REGULAR SEASON . DATE OPPONENT PLACE TIME Mon. Sep. 10 at Cincinnati Bengals Paul Brown Stadium 7:00 p.m. (ESPN) Sun. Sep. 16 NEW YORK JETS M&T BANK STADIUM 4:15 p.m. Sun. Sep. 23 ARIZONA CARDINALS M&T BANK STADIUM 1:00 p.m. Sun. Sep. 30 at Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns Stadium 1:00 p.m. Sun. Oct. 7 at San Francisco 49ers Monster Park 4:15 p.m. Sun. Oct. 14 ST. LOUIS RAMS M&T BANK STADIUM 1:00 p.m. Sun. Oct. 21 at Buffalo Bills Ralph Wilson Stadium 1:00 p.m. Sun. Oct. 28 BYE Mon. Nov. 5 at Pittsburgh Steelers Heinz Field 8:30 p.m. (ESPN) Sun. Nov. 11* CINCINNATI BENGALS M&T BANK STADIUM 4:05 p.m. Sun. Nov. 18* CLEVELAND BROWNS M&T BANK STADIUM 1:00 p.m. Sun. Nov. 25* at San Diego Chargers Qualcomm Stadium 4:15 p.m. Mon. Dec. 3 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS M&T BANK STADIUM 8:30 p.m. (ESPN) Sun. Dec. 9* INDIANAPOLIS COLTS M&T BANK

The O’s are doing me a favor tonight.

Nestor Aparicio

Even though I’d MUCH rather be at the ballpark tonight, I gotta admit I’m enjoying watching the game on TV and getting involved in the blogosphere…I think I might be good at this kinda thing. I sit around a LOT of nights thinking about the Orioles, if you can believe that. I’ve been kinda melancholy about the whole thing…the loss of joy for baseball…memories of my Pop and my childhood… I ran into one of my best friends from elementary school walking into OPACY as I was on the street handing out FREE THE BIRDS signs before the game. We have a breakfast date tomorrow — we still get together every couple of months for an omelette and a cup of coffee… But here we are, just about 30 years gone from our childhoods in Colgate, and we still run into each other randomly in the center of downtown outside of the stadium on Opening Day. And I never run into him anywhere outside of this diner we hang out in on Eastern Ave. Baseball’s beautiful like that for friendship and bringing people together. I went to a cocktail party earlier tonight, and I was cornered by some of my

Orioles continue ban on free speech in Baltimore

Nestor Aparicio

So who is it gonna be next week? Or next year? Scott Garceau? Peter Schmuck? Steve Davis? Who’s next? So it seems, these days only Fred Manfra, Jim Hunter and Tom Davis — those bastions of journalistic integrity and fellow MASN employees — are safe. Maybe that’s the question the rest of the local and national media should be asking. Who’s next? Who will be the next person to show up at a sporting event — after spending nearly a quarter of a century in press boxes all around the continent in virtually every sport imaginable, it’s all I’ve ever done to feed my family since 1984 — only to be turned away by management for being too critical of the team? Having been an accredited media member for the totality of my career, I have never heard of such a thing, nor has anyone in my industry, until yesterday when I was denied entrance to Camden Yards. To have some young PR flunky in a tie meet me at the front door and say: “No thanks, the owner is not only not taking questions from the fans or the media, but he is now no longer making his team

Sitting home and watching the game.

Nestor Aparicio

It’s been strange day. The Orioles’ PR staff have been extremely cowardly, if not flat out incompetant, in dealing with me and my staff (not to mention Comcast Sports Net and WBAL)…The WNST press release was sent late last night and I STILL have no “official” anything from the Orioles — nothing more than a stop sign as I tried to pick up my credential today. Seven members of my staff had “passes.” I did not. First, I was NEVER informed of my station’s status or our credential request denial through any official source. A guy named Greg Bader, who I had never even met until he looked me in the eye at 2 p.m. behind home plate, informed me that I’m not a “real” media member anymore. The Orioles chose to call one of my employees just before 9 a.m. to say that, YES, we indeed DID have credentials for “selected” WNST members. I never received an email, letter, phone call…no nothing!Actually, when I walked over to the media gate, NO ONE in my COMPANY was really sure who had a pass and who didn’t. I walked to the media entrance with Michael Popovec, Drew Forrester and Rex Snider.Popovec,

Orioles deny WNST press credentials for 2007 season

Nestor Aparicio

PRESS RELEASE April 8, 2007                                                                                                                     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WNST RADIO BEING DENIED PRESS CREDENTIALS BY ORIOLES ON OPENING DAY IN BALTIMORE Towson-based Sports Media organization and radio station is considering legal action Baltimore — WNST-AM 1570, a 5,000-watt sports-talk radio station in Baltimore — and a staple in Baltimore sports media — is being denied credentials for the upcoming 2007 Orioles season by the team’s ownership and media relations department. Station owner “Nasty” Nestor Aparicio has repeatedly made attempts to procure press credentials from the team and has continued to be rebuffed. Aparicio and his staff have covered Baltimore Orioles’ baseball since Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened in 1992. “It’s just amazing that every single year, when you think it can’t get any worse, it does,” Aparicio said in a blog on his website, www.wnst.net. “Are they honestly trying to say that we’re not a legitimate media entity, after we’ve covered every major sporting event in this country for 15 years? Is it a personal attack? Is it an attempt to punish us for being honest in our assessment of the Orioles franchise? I really don’t know. But one of our chief complaints as an organization and as

You want to NOT be cynical, you really

Nestor Aparicio

I love baseball, and here in Baltimore on what would be a beautiful 80-degree today at Oriole Park, if our team had an owner with a clue, we’d all be at the ballpark. But, alas, just like Barry Manilow, I’m stuck in search of trying to get that feeling again. So, this weekend I went in search of the magic elixir of the nation’s pastime, trying to figure out on the eve of the 2007 season, if Major League Baseball is in as bad of shape as I think it is. What I found was — as usual — appalling. There I was on Saturday afternoon, tuning into MASN to get my first look at the 2007 O’s (I’ve been to enough spring training games and have wasted literally MONTHS of my life caring about games that always prove to be worthless…although the tan is nice) and the game was on from R.F.K. Stadium.  My first thought after seeing the crowd, or lack thereof, was this: maybe Peter Angelos was right or maybe his petty actions have made this is a self-fulfilling prophecy (Tom Boswell from The Washington Post would probably tell you it’s a little of both). Maybe this

Coping with the pain

Nestor Aparicio

After all of the hours of mulling over Saturday night’s biblical steamer at M&T Bank Stadium, I have come to one conclusion: when it comes down to “getting over it,” either your glass is half full or it’s half empty. And in some cases over the first two nights of my personal elimination from any more fun this NFL postseason, it depended on which hour you actually ask me. The emails started late Saturday night — actually more like Sunday morning, once the bars closed I got a curiously large pile of emails — mostly knee-jerk, rambling jibberish, the rumblings of a discontented and heartbroken public. I know how that feels because I’m ONE OF YOU! I came home, I wanted to cry, I watched the Philadelphia-New Orleans game and sulked and shouted random “F-bombs” and “Damns!,” mumbling out loud to no one in particular. Then I received a couple of my favorite emails (paraphrasing): “So, Nasty, you Dundalk jerk, are you going to go soft and talk about what a great season it was, blah, blah, blah or are you gonna tell the truth. That Billick is a horrible coach, Rex Ryan’s defense proved to be soft in the

Purple madness leads to orange sadness as we ring in 2007

Nestor Aparicio

I’m kinda taking in all of this Festivus and Super Bowl mania one day at a time. As much as I’m trying to have fun with all of the hype, excitement and wishful visions of palm trees and purple parties in South Florida in five weeks, I’m also try to temper my own pure, unadulterated joy in what the Ravens are doing to this city. I just want to slow these days down and savor every one because I know that either way it’s all going to be over very soon and very abruptly. And, I know you don’t want to hear it right now — and I can’t blame you, but I’m gonna lay it on you anyway because you NEED to hear it and I NEED to say it — this is how this city used to be not too long ago when it came to a certain orange bird and a magical three-generation love affair with our baseball team, which seemed to die a tragic civic death about a decade ago. For you youngsters out there — the ones who really don’t remember 1979 or 1983 — do you want some more proof about what Oriole Magic

Finding quality sports talk show hosts is not as easy as it sounded

Nestor Aparicio

So, we gathered the 14 finalists in the Donahoo Ford “So You Wanna Be a Sports Talk Show Host” contest Wednesday night at Orchard Landing for some cocktails, munchies and well, SPORTS TALK. Lemme take a second today to thank all of the participants, wannabes, basement tape makers and well, dreamers of the dream. In all we received 74 envelopes full of love and hope and sex and dreams. And every one of them seemed to arrive on the last day of the competition. Love because they all LOVED sports. Hope because they HOPED as a kid to grow up and do nothing but play sports, watch sports and talk sports. SEX because its what they weren’t having while they were watching sports over the last 25 or more years and while they were too damned busy watching the Orioles play and… DREAMS because many of these 74 folks were clearly dreaming. This contest has been fascinating for me on many levels. First, I received tapes from many listeners and even some friends who I never knew had any inspiration to want to do this. Real, honest to God, heartfelt letters and tapes with people who wanted to sit behind

Strange fight so far..

Nestor Aparicio

Very surprised by the effort being put forth by De La Hoya. When he’s pushed the tempo, he’s been effective,

Boxing in 2007..

Nestor Aparicio

I know it’s been a little while since I’ve really paid any attention to boxing — probably like most of

The Derby NEVER disappoints..

Nestor Aparicio

Another Derby, another memorable race… If you don’t have at the VERY least a lump in your throat just WATCHING

Derby star watching..

Nestor Aparicio

I was all set to watch ALL of the Kentucky Derby day proceedings on ESPN, but alas the Flower Mart

Here’s the dope..

Nestor Aparicio

I was just fingering through the internet this afternoon and this story popped up and grabbed my attention. You really

So long Joe Foss..

Nestor Aparicio

Well, we’re at it again. We here at WNST.net are continuing to expose all of the TRUTHS that the Orioles

Hello again…Ryan Kalil

Nestor Aparicio

Pick No. 58 is on the clock…I wonder who the Saints are gonna take? With just Carolina and Miami in

This is when it’s FUN..

Nestor Aparicio

Pats are on the board… Ravens are up next…trade, pick…who knows? I think the guard Grubbs becomes the guy…I think

Sockgate and Shonda Schilling..

Nestor Aparicio

As fate would have it, much of my day centered around Shonda Schilling’s skin-cancer prevention speech at Colgate Elementary School

Almost gametime in Tampa..

Nestor Aparicio

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla — Since the game starts in a little while (and I’m kinda hungry), I’ll keep this one

On the ground in Tampa..

Nestor Aparicio

Well, this is my first “in-flight” blog. If you don’t know it by now, I’m really enjoying this kinda work.

Why I love baseball..

Nestor Aparicio

Sitting at home on a Sunday afternoon, watching the raindrops fall, watching bad movies and just about ready to make

PETER ANGELOS IS A GOD!!!!!!

Nestor Aparicio

For the record, Gary Thorne and Jim Palmer are keeping me imminently entertained. We honestly considered taking a walk over

Puck

Nestor Aparicio

  Just sat down to watch some puck…had some enchiladas…yummy! Preds are down 1-0…went in off a skate. Man, I

RAVENS SKED HERE.

Nestor Aparicio

2007 BALTIMORE RAVENS SCHEDULE PRESEASON DATE OPPONENT PLACE TIME Mon. Aug. 13 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES M&T BANK STADIUM 7:00 p.m. Sun.

Orioles deny WNST press credentials for 2007 season

Nestor Aparicio

PRESS RELEASE April 8, 2007                                                                                                                     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WNST RADIO BEING DENIED PRESS CREDENTIALS BY ORIOLES ON OPENING DAY

Coping with the pain

Nestor Aparicio

After all of the hours of mulling over Saturday night’s biblical steamer at M&T Bank Stadium, I have come to

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